Chapter 20: Intentions (Part 6)

Quick shoutouts to my new Patreons in the last two weeks. @Abdullah, @RedDroid X, @StarSmith, and @joao gonclaves. Your support is extremely appreciated!

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Date: August 16, 2008

Location: Central Gotham City, New Jersey, Robinson Park Botanical Gardens, The Reservoir

Time: 3:54 P.M.

Walking around the brick walls of Gotham City's dam as birds chirped away around him, Bruce remained unaffected by the faint smell of saltwater carried over the high walls by the breeze as he focused on his mission.

Find the location of the bomb and disarm it.

A scanner in the shape of a batarang was in his hand, the screen not dissimilar to what Dick had used at the Thomas Wayne Middle School.

'Found it.' Bruce watched as green marks along with tire tracks appeared on the screen leading him in a path circling the dam. 'Something's wrong…'

When remaining in a disarmed state, most nuclear weapons would emit a small passive radioactive field that's non-harmful to humans. When armed, although still nonhazardous since it's contained within the bomb's casing, the amount of radioactivity emitted in the field would increase as the isotopes within the core warmed themselves, leaving a much higher energy reading and more obvious trail.

Right now, even though Bruce's paranoia was considering an alternative, the trail he found could only belong to a disarmed bomb.

However, way before things reached this stage, and while he was still in the storage house, Bruce felt something nagging at his detective senses, trying to tell him that he overlooked something crucial.

It's hard to tell what that was when the man was simultaneously struggling to process the day's happenings.

With an unsettling thought sticking to the back of his mind, Bruce hastened his steps a small margin while keeping them silent, taking the chance to partially enter the palace within his mind and organize the cluttered mess it was becoming.

'What should I do?' he glanced at a nearby shelf. The majority of the book's spines were titled either "Memories: Ben", "Memories: Dick", or both together.

Bruce knows that he messed up badly with Ben. He refused to trust his son with a secret that mostly pertained to him while knowing how much it mattered to him as well. When he first took in Ben, he did his best to let the one side of him always trying to think up and prepare for the worst take a backseat, doing his utmost to stay beside his son.

He had grown soft in doing so to the point where he missed so many signs that he should've seen sooner, Gotham suffering under the whims of so many madmen when he should've prevented it as he usually did.

Bruce was waging war within himself. One side of him wanted to do better for his son and another couldn't find a way to do so without sacrificing the city and its people in the mayhem that'll follow in the wake of his absence.

Coming upon a giant grate pipe near the side of the damn, Bruce's batarang radar quietly pinged, the tire tracks stopping before the entrance while the green trail continued deeper in.

The entrance was dry and devoid of sewage while still retaining its overwhelming stench. Bruce measured the distance spanning the roof and floor as he silently hopped in. It only took him a couple of meters deeper into the darkness to come upon the metal shell he was looking for.

Words were written on the side of the bomb in green and purple paint, the drip stains showing how the job was rushed without giving time for the colorant to dry.

"For Batpest: Press here if you crave some early holly jolly fun!"

A filled-in arrow was placed under the words, pointing to a neatly wired red button on the side, one Bruce didn't like the sight of as he waved his batarang radar over the bomb and gritted his teeth, rapidly turning on his heel.

Just as he feared… the bomb wasn't armed. Neither were there any signs of Joker Venom being hooked up to it.

'He lied.' Bruce wasn't surprised by that, but now that his clouded mind resharpened, he only just figured out the reason why he was led away as he hastily took out a card. 'Ben!'

The card fell away as the portal formed a window into the library, Bruce becoming stunned by what he saw on the other side.

A thick black gas had swallowed the place whole as it billowed in an upward spiral from a figure standing before a sweating Joker and Harley. The gas gathered in a whirlpool around the roof as it formed an upside-down hurricane's eye, threatening to drown all.

Bruce froze as he gazed at the figure, catching the briefest hints of a golden diamond where its face was supposed to be before it was drowned out.

"Batsy!" Sounding like a housewife caught in an affair, Joker shrieked in a startled fashion when he noticed the portal. "This isn't what it looks like!"

------------------

Date: Unknown

Location: Unknown

Time: Unknown

*BEEP…BEEP…BEEP…BEEP*

Inside a plain square room was a bed propped up against the place's center wall, a boy sleeping upon it as his chest rose and fell in a content manner.

Directly opposite him was a black door with an unassuming golden knob. Wisps of an otherworldly aura exuded from it and refused to stray too far as they continuously circled its frame, remaining within some invisible confine.

*BEEP…BEEP…BEEP…BEEP*

The tranquily unaware boy suddenly seemed to sense something, his eyebrows creasing as his hands lightly fumbled around.

*BEEP…BEEP…BEEP…BEEP*

Slowly regaining his mental faculties, the boy's eyelids fluttered before they cracked open, the clear white sheets that blanketed him ruffling as he sat himself up.

The boy's gaze was absent-minded, his nodding head showing just how drowsy he was.

And yet, as the same noise kept echoing and drifting into his ears, his heart stopped just enough for him to sober up.

'...No.'

*BEEP…BEEP…BEEP…BEEP*

Wide awake, Ben didn't even bother examining his surroundings, too caught up with the beat consistently bouncing throughout the room.

Although Ben had no clue where he was or how he got here, those two questions were the furthest thing from his mind. The hours of his training which dictated that he should be canvasing the surroundings just refused to kick in.

Instead, Ben wanted nothing but to run away from that forsaken sound.

A sound, previously so familiar… now filled him with nothing but dread.

*BEEP…BEEP…BEEP…BEEP*

But he couldn't run. His body suddenly refused to obey him, his head being the only thing to have been granted some form of leeway as it swiveled around to examine the premises.

The absence of decor, ambiance, and colorful walls was indeed strange, but all it took for that brief spike of dread to spread was Ben registering that unmistakable feeling that had clung tightly to his being so long ago.

A hospital room will always be the most vivid thing in his memory, even before he received his perfect recall.

*BEEP…BEEP…BEEP…BEEP*

The bed was elevated at a high position so that Ben's back could comfortably rest at a proper angle. Standing tall beside his right arm was an IV stand, not unlike the one prepared for Dick earlier, as an IV tube was hooked up to him.

But… Ben's entire focus had turned to the heart monitor machine at his left.

*BEEP… BEEP.. BEEP. BEEP*

Various wires and electrical nodes were taped up to Ben's body, reaching under parts of a white gown he couldn't remember wearing. The line that the monitor beside him highlighted constantly jumped up and down, outlining every reverberation of his heart.

The longer Ben looked at the line, the more it drew him in as the world seemed to spin in place. He became extremely dizzy, his breaths beginning to turn more ragged as the air exited and entered his body in shorter intervals.

*BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP*

His body began shaking as if an earthquake that only he could feel was taking place, his muscles coiling and tensing in spasms. His head was the only thing that remained in place, stuck being completely enraptured with the spluttering lines on the machine as the numbers responsible for quantifying his state turned red.

*BEEP BEEP BEEPBEEP*

'No. Please. Never again. Please…'

His mind started to travel down darker corners even as it started shutting down, his vision growing blurry.

*BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP*

"…wh…ong…Ben…ou…ay?"

The spams slowly ascended into convulsions, Ben's eyes rolling back into their sockets as a hazy voice seemed to meander over, words reaching him in broken strands.

*BEEP!BEEP!BEEP!BEEP!*

"…Biny…ab…"

At some point during Ben's cold descent into what could only end in tragedy, a warm feeling that he couldn't place his finger on interfered. The mellowness it granted Ben prompted his mind to run on its own and try to decipher what he was hearing, jumbling together the jargon mess into complete interpretations.

*BEEP BEEP. BEEP.. BEEP*

Slowly, Ben's elevated heart rate jogged back to normal as he used the mess of letters as a beacon to get a grip on himself, forcibly regaining control of his rigid muscles and shaking body.

*BEEP… BEEP… BEEP… BEEP*

Eyes evening back out as he brought his breathing back down to an acceptable level, Ben held the monitor's gaze a little while longer before he grew sick of it and tore his head away…

…Freezing once more as he was startled by the unexpected sight of a woman with black hair currently holding his hand in a vice grip.

"Ya Binyamin. Enta tamaam?"*

(*Translation - Benjamin. Are you okay?)

Standing before his bedside as she looked down at him in concern and fear was none other than his mother…

Mary David Cain.

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Date: August 16, 2008

Location: Downtown Gotham City, New Jersey, Old Gotham, Gotham Public Library

Time: 4:02 P.M.

*BANG BANG BANG BANG*

A red-colored explosion lit up the entire library in a shower of noise and tint. The rugged floors, stone, and plaster flew around the place. A grunt could be heard as a dark-colored shadow tore through the smoke, carrying something in its arm.

"Hahahahahaha! This was a better idea than I thought!"

Scratch that. The "something" was a "someone".

Bruce ignored Joker as he did his best to avoid the gunfire bearing down on him, his grappling gun's cord working overtime by shooting and retracting to and from the railings as he leaped off toppling bookshelves and weakening support beams. He masterfully weaved through the air, moving in between the colored energy bullets hot on his tail.

When traced back to the source of the danger, a hair-raising sight was currently unfolding.

Like a harrowing beast whose sleep was disturbed, Wildcard had his two pistols in hand as he chased after the fleeing duo with startling speed, shot after shot tracking them without reprieve.

Clouds of black gas continued to pour out of every inch of his body in increasing amounts, parts of the roof turning into slag that sizzled holes in the floor.

'How could this happen?' Bruce thought, swinging to the right to dodge another bullet.

'I shouldn't have changed my mind on those guns.' Bruce mentally sighed.

The only person Bruce couldn't deny permission to store guns in the house was Alfred, and when Ben found out about that, he used that tidbit against him after their bonding moment during Thanksgiving dinner.

'I just had to make another exception.'

After opening the portal and observing Ben's state, Bruce tried talking to him, failing as his son treated him like air, and to Bruce's disbelief, pointed a gun at Joker. Realizing the severity of the situation, he was forced to swoop in and tackle the man out of the way.

Strangely, his son completely ignored Harley, Bane, and the rest of the criminals. The gas was spit between pooling at the roof or trying to devour him and Joker.

'Ignoring whatever the gas represents, his singular focus towards Joker shows that he's either not in control, being mind-altered, or possessed in some way.' Bruce had deduced after a few minutes of back and forth with his son. The clown in his arms had resumed laughing at some point.

Shots kept exploding around the area as books were torn to shreds and lamps shattered. If the surrounding chairs and wooden furniture weren't already splintered into pieces, the black gas swiftly ate away at them till they were nothing but dust.

Bruce was forced to constantly play hide and seek, refusing to risk leaving the building since he had no idea what lengths Ben or whatever was controlling him would be willing to go to obviously eradicate the Joker.

He had wanted to get closer earlier, but the gas had seeped through his armor and brought him a feeling of weakness, gnawing at his skin till it partially turned black.

"Look at him go Batsy!" the tied-up Joker cheered from beside him. "Things are turning out even better than my wildest dreams! Get it? Wild? HAHAHAHAHA!"

Hiding behind the front librarian's desk, Bruce ignored the clown as he looked at a certain compartment on his belt. 'Julia is focused on keeping Dick stable and I don't understand what I'm dealing with.' Bruce flipped open a small pocket and pressed the switch. 'They should be here fast.

For now, he had to continue this waiting game until the rest of the League arrived.

An explosion went off dangerously close to Bruce's head, a portion of the desk disintegrating. Bruce hoisted Joker on his shoulder once more as he shot a cord at a wall to dodge another volley of energy bullets.

"Awww. Isn't this sweet?" Joker cackled. "I've been waiting for you to swoop in and save me like the damsel in distress I've always strived to be Batsy! Seems like you do know what a person likes best, eh?"

Ben's smoking head glanced at Bruce's swinging form, a green light charging in the barrel of his gun as he aimed at a point ahead of Bruce.

*BANG!*

Bruce reoriented both himself and Joker mid-fall as the wire snapped, attempting for the smallest amount of force to travel through their bodies upon impact.

Except, an explosion flung them further through the air, Bruce rapidly flipping himself again with Joker as they crashed right on top of a nearby printing machine.

Coughing in pain, Joker sat up before Bruce as he looked at him in disgruntlement. "You know what? This is your fault!" He accusingly pointed to the flattened device. "Now the printer's jammed! No thanks to you."

Bruce ignored the clown once more, trying to push away the rage he was beginning to feel due to his words and whatever actions he committed when he was gone that landed them into this mess.

"Batman to Justice League. How much longer until arrival?"

A blur arrived beside him, Barry coming to a stop with Oliver held in his arms. The arrival of Wally and Will a few moments later showed that Flash synchronized his pace to match the younger speedster.

"ETA? Right about now!" Wally gave a thumbs up.

Wally received an unamused Bat-Glare before Bruce unexpectedly dived at him, a red laser passing where the kid's head was while corroding a hole into the bulletin board directly behind him.

"Oh…uh… sorry!… sir. Bad time. Right." Wally somehow managed to stutter, stammer, and mumble all at once.

"Why'd you bring the children?" Bruce glowered at Barry and Oliver, Barry zipping away to dodge a few blasts as Oliver and Will sought cover.

"Same reason you always bring yours to a fire-fight." Oliver bit back, poking his bow out from behind a pile of black goo with an arrow already knocked on the string as Will mirrored his movements. "Now, you wanna quickly bring us up to speed on the actual situation?"

Ben stepped out from the smoke into view of everyone present, pausing in his stride a few meters away for reasons unknown to them.

Bruce explained the series of events as quickly and concisely as possible, his eyes never leaving his son.

'His current state seems familiar.' Bruce tried quickly to browse through his mind.

"So you're telling me that if we get any closer to the black stuff around him, we'll probably shrivel up, is that right?" Barry double-checked, receiving a nodded head from the Dark Knight.

Although Bruce didn't see the black gas at the time, Ishmael's state back at the storage house corresponded with what happened to him earlier, just in a more severe manner.

"All I'm hearing is that I need to blitz him fast enough for his dust to eat my dust and be done with it…?" Wally got into a running stance. "Simple enough!"

Barry followed him a moment later in obvious agreement, not having any other ideas for now.

Bruce could somehow feel Ben's focus shift to the speedsters, the reason for his earlier bouts of familiarity dawning on him at that moment.

"Stop!" Bruce's eyes widened behind his mask as he stretched his hand out too late, the two charging in unison as they took up either side of Ben.

Suddenly, the top part of Ben's mask cracked open like an egg as his hair grew to unparalleled proportions, lengthening to surround his entire body in a hedgehog-like dome. The outside strands sharpened into deadly spears that protruded further outward.

Alarmed, Barry instantly braked in his motion, Wally unable to do the same as he continued forward while flailing his arms when he tried to backpedal.

*SLASH!*

"Kid Flash!" Barry shouted. Wally crashed into a stone pedestal as the hairs charged at him, Flash running over to carry him away before he could be skewered.

Wally hissed as he was placed down. Gashes opened up on his arm as blood flowed down. The young speedster gulped, now looking at Ben with slight fear in his eyes. "Uh… I miss the more friendly and laid-back Wildcard. Can we get him back please?"

"You alright kid?" Barry asked, the rest throwing a few concerned glances at the injury as well.

Wally waved his hand. "Don't worry. I managed to tilt my body to the right at the last moment. It's just a light gash." He pointed at the torn skin knitting itself back together. "Plus, high-speed healing remember?"

"Did we even know he could do that?" Oliver eyeballed the stationary Ben, his head moving between the four heroes and a chuckling Joker.

"No. I've never seen him do such a thing before." Bruce's eyes darted all around Ben's body.

Ben had already told him about his amazing control over his own body, but he'd never imagined his son to be capable of such a thing before. "I don't know if this could be something new due to his state, or an entirely higher level of his 'supposedly' perfect body control."

"I feel like I lost all the calories I had for breakfast. Doesn't matter how fast we run, just a graze and that gas will sap most of our energy." Wally pointed at Ben's hair now reaching his feet. "Also, is that why you tried stopping us earlier?"

"The reason I stopped you two is because of what I can identify. He's currently in a form of high-speed analysis and processing."

"In that split-second, his photographic reflexes informed him of your impending attacks, causing his super-intelligence to take over and begin calculating the best form of counter alongside the direction and angle of your arrival. Finally, his body carried out the decided action." Bruce explained as quickly as possible.

His words started coming out faster as they watched Ben's hair slowly retract.

"He's technically already capable of performing the same feat in his normal form. But his current state seems to boost his mental powers to greater heights by removing or suppressing his more 'unnecessary' emotional reactions to prevent from slowing down efficiency."

"You've got to be kidding me!?" Will barked with clenched teeth. "What makes him any different than a machine? Is he even still in there?"

"And how the hell did you get that all from just observing him?" Oliver continued with the same reaction.

Bruce growled at the two. "I didn't just observe him. I know because he's my *blank*." The word "son" failed to exit his lips. "Regardless of his state… he has to be in there."

"Sorry to interrupt, but break time's over." Barry cut in, grabbing everyone's attention to the approaching Ben. "If you're right, then we've given him too much time to think up a plan."

"Great! What about OUR plan?!" Oliver shot an arrow that Ben paid no mind. The wooden shaft rotted meters away from him midair.

"Speedsters. Clear out the immediate vicinity in case damage from the battle spreads." Bruce took charge, glancing at the nearby criminals now sporting black spots on their skin and shallowly breathing. "Evacuate the remaining criminals first and tie up Harley and Joker somewhere nearby so that Wildcard can't chase them."

Barry and Wally zoomed away without a word, Joker and Harley squealing like they were on a rollercoaster sounding briefly before the noise faded. Ben noticed their actions and tried throwing explosive cards beforehand to prevent their escape, failing to meet his mark.

"Archers." Bruce's batarangs were a signal for action, part of them disintegrating as they neared his son who dodged the remains. "We need to either slow down or contain him until our more heavy hitters arrive and can take over. Since he may know what's going on, we must also wait for Giovanni. From now on, use only arrows and other long-range gadgets forged with materials possessing a higher life expectancy or durability to attack. They should be capable of traversing through the smog."

Testing his instructions, Will loosened a titanium arrow, the shaft holding steady as it rapidly neared Ben even while parts of it corroded. But with a step to the side from his target, Will watched as the arrow erupted into a patch of glue that sailed past Ben before quickly evaporating.

"At least the trick mechanisms still work." Will kept loosening his arrows as he side-eyed his mentor. "Foam arrows next?"

All he received in return was a smirk.

As the two started firing together, Bruce followed their lead by using his remaining glue pellets.

"Wildcard." Bruce tried reasoning. "You're not in control. You told me that before even deciding whether or not you wanted to be a hero, you first had to be able to control your powers to prevent from harming others. Stop while you can before you go against that."

Ben ignored his father as he easily dodged everything being shot or thrown at him, taking out two cards and flicking them as everyone scattered to avoid the explosion.

"Reinforcements are 4 minutes out!" Oliver yelled.

Bruce threw a few tranquilizer darts, the metal disappearing while the liquid within dispersed into a gas that was rapidly eaten up by its black counterpart.

"Distract him." Bruce ordered, running behind a nearby muddled pillar and disappearing from view.

"Did he just abandon us?" Will looked at the place he vanished with wide eyes, quickly firing another foam arrow at Ben who was now sprinting towards them and trying to force him to make some distance.

"Listen here. As much as I dislike the guy with his constant pop-ups and sneaky exits, he gets the job done. Plus, he said it himself. Wildcard's his… you know. So focus!" Oliver reprimanded as he kept firing arrow after arrow.

Ben kept advancing closer as the archers retreated, the duo remaining on the back foot. Not only were they forced to keep dodging the acid dripping from the ceiling, but they were running out of room to move due to the gas encroaching upon them.

"Any day now Batman!" Oliver shouted, partially agitated.

Suddenly, the wind started picking up as the black smoke was drawn into vents from the wall and roof, slowly clearing up as Ben became much more visible than before.

"Way to go!" Oliver cheered, charging at Ben with his bow in hand. Since the smoke was out of the way, he could finally attempt to make close combat without harm while preserving his arrows. His quiver could only hold so many, not to mention how their trick arrows were winding up to be useless so far.

Will didn't seem to agree, looking on at the man's actions as if he had two heads.

"Are you out of your mind, Arrow?! You can't beat him in close combat! The guy is better physically in every way!" Will warned as he fired two more foam arrows. Left unsaid was how he believed Ben had a higher level of martial arts knowledge since any mention would just further rile up his mentor.

Alas, the damage was done as Oliver grew sharper in his movements.

"Hey, give me some credit. I've got a lot more experience packed up than Junior here can unwrap." Oliver ducked under an uppercut before stumbling back at the following front kick, placing his bow ahead to block.

Given some room, Ben redirected the arrows shot at him right back, Will flipping as they sailed under him while Oliver crossed the distance again.

"Arrow!" Will again warned him.

"Can you stop with your nagging already?" Oliver swung the edge of his bow down on Ben's knee as he dodged it. "Batman said to distract him, so that's what I'm doing."

Ben avoided Oliver's right high kick with a simple back step, ducking under the following roundhouse the archer performed by making use of the remaining generated force.

Stomping down hard on Oliver's right foot once it was replaced on the ground, Ben smoothly settled into a horse stance while the man was busy grunting, sending consecutively fast and brutal palm strikes into his midsection.

Oliver placed his bow once more to block like earlier-

*CRACK*

-only for the frame to split on the fourth blow.

Before Oliver could react, Ben seamlessly combined his attack, adjusting his body to transfer the sum of all the previous impact force into his fifth palm strike. After dealing the strike to the archer's unprotected chin, he used the rebound force from that as well to land an elbow strike on his chest.

Putting the final nail in the coffin, a headbutt sent Oliver careening backward into an ashy book cart when Ben removed the foot previously keeping him locked down.

"This is what happens when we don't listen." Will swore as he loosened an exploding arrow. Sidestepping it as usual, Ben suddenly halted as it blew up right next to him.

'How did that work?' Will was surprised to see Ben stumbling slightly, noticing an important detail. 'The black coming out of him is starting to recede.'

Trying for the same result, Will released two arrows simultaneously, keeping an eye on Ben's reaction as he ran toward his unresponsive mentor. Unfortunately, Ben just leaped out of the way this time.

'Guess it was a one-time fluke. I can't figure out how he's calculating these things or prioritizing.'

Finally reaching Oliver, Will loosened three more glue arrows in a wider range.

"You gotta wake up you old coot! This is not the time to start napping."

Thankfully, the sound of groaning proved a good sign, Oliver sitting up as he tenderly touched his face. Putting both hands on his dislocated jaw, he reset it with a slight crack, some swelling left behind in the area.

"Kid can pack a punch." Oliver moaned as he got to his feet, looking at his mangled carbon-fiber recurve bow as he popped out a spare one from his side.

"I told you it was a bad idea." Will reprimanded him as he shot an exploding arrow.

"Can't blame a guy for trying."

"Can and already did."

"Enough!" a voice shouted.

A rope came from out of the darkness from the back of Ben's upper body, wrapping around him tightly. Wounding it around a railing till he felt it was secure, the returned Bruce jumped to the floor as he threw two more lines of rope across the room. "Help me hold him down till the rest arrive."

"One second." Oliver shot another arrow that finally performed its intended purpose when it found purchase, a bubble of foam encasing Ben.

"There we go." the man was satisfied, turning to find his protege looking at him in disdain. "What? It's just insurance. I'm definitely not trying to get back at him." he quipped, grabbing a line as Will joined him.

The three tensely held the ropes as they watched how it slowly corroded. They were ready to go into action at any sudden movements but ended up staying confused when nothing happened after a while, Ben motionless once again.

"Hey, Bats." Oliver called. "How'd you get the smoke out from here?"

"I reconfigured the library's air-conditioning system to siphon the recycled air out of the building."

"Great." Will's eyes lit up. "So if he creates more of the stuff then you can just repeat the process."

"No." Bruce unexpectedly shot them down. "It was a one-time deal. The gas corroded the vents and sensors on its exit journey, so the system can't be reused."

As long as Ben stopped creating more smoke like right now, they'd be fine. But should he do so…

Two blurs disturbed whatever tension was beginning to build up.

"Everyone within three miles has begun to evacuate. Wonder Woman's detaining the deviant duo with her lasso and is two minutes out with some of the rest." Barry informed.

"Very well." Bruce threw another two lines as he kept an eye on the progress of the rope's condition, ready to substitute the bindings with fresher ones. "Help us hold Wildcard down until then."

Everyone stayed like that for the remaining two minutes, Ben's lack of motion or action adding an eerie feeling within the group.

"We're here."

With the sound of whistling wind, another blur stopped alongside Barry, settling into a figure that floated a few feet off the ground.

Superman, the Man of Steel, had arrived.

Accompanied by his announcement was the addition of more people entering the establishment. The two Green Lanterns floated down into the room while carrying Aquaman and Kaldur, the Hawk couple arriving alongside them a moment later.

Red Tornado gently set down as the wind around him dispersed, Captain Marvel flying in with Dinah being held in a princess carry as Oliver looked at them intensely. Finally, Giovanni came floating in alongside Sindella and Zatanna, the trio standing on a translucent platform.

Bruce took a glance at the man, trying to pass on a silent message.

"Believe me. I tried to prevent them from coming." the magician got the hint, exasperation in his tone as he explained himself.

Sindella had already moved forward to closely examine Ben, backing up a bit at a slight puff of black gas coming from his nose. "Wildcard has done much for our family. It's only right that we arrive together and pool our knowledge to figure out the problem."

"Very well." Bruce nodded, inwardly grateful for the woman's help and obvious care.

Meanwhile, Kaldur had moved over to stand by Wally and Will, the speedster turning to him in confusion. "I thought you and Aquaman were coming by water?"

"My king and I were asked to take a look at Miller Harbor when Superman heard the explosions. As we were on the way, the Green Lanterns were gracious enough to provide us transportation." the dark-skinned Atlantean supplied.

Bruce ignored the chatter as he turned to Clark. "The rest?"

"I won't lie…" Clark sighed. "You were right about us causing a commotion. Just the couple of us coming here stirred up an even bigger riot than I expected. The rest are currently on standby with Wonder Woman just in case. Although, I don't think we need any more people."

Bruce opened his mouth before a strange tug at his senses caused his attention to shift back to Ben.

Even though still motionless, he could somehow tell that his son's eyes underneath the mask were scanning the entire room.

'This feeling again?'

Earlier, he was also able to tell that Ben's focus had shifted…

"Remain alert!" Bruce made the whole room go stiff with his warning as he leveled a hardened stare at the family of magicians.

"He's currently planning something. I need you three to quickly figure out what this black gas is and what it's doing to him."

"I don't see the need for you to be so wired up." Captain Marvel chimed in. "I mean, what can he do when captured like this?"

In response, Ben's hair lengthened like earlier, strands curling around each other to form giant fists that rapidly pummeled the foam around him, breaking it into chunks.

"That's how." Dinah gave Captain Marvel the stink eye.

"How about none of us tempt Murphy in situations like this?" Wally piped in, straining to hold on to the rope as Ben began thrashing in his bindings. He wasn't the only one struggling to stay anchored, Bruce nearly being yanked away himself.

"Those of you with super strength, take over maintaining the bindings for us while we renew them with fresh ones." Bruce noticed the line would snap at any point now. "Next, we need someone capable of containing his hair to prevent him from just cutting the lines."

"On it!" Hal declared, moving into action with John at his side.

Ring shining brightly, a giant pair of scissors formed above Ben's strand-like appendages and snipped away, the hair continuously regrowing itself the next second. Hal was forced to race against them, trying to keep them cropped short. Meanwhile, John created two giant hands, the thick fingers unclasping before they clamped over Ben's body.

Superman, Aquaman, Hawkman, Hawkwoman, and Captain Marvel took over the lines from Bruce and the rest, keeping it steady.

After a couple more moments, when he was unable to make any more headway, Ben paused again.

"We can't measure how long we have until he comes up with another plan. We need to know what's going on right now." Bruce urged.

Giovanni glanced at his wife who already had her eyes closed in concentration while mumbling something under her breath. Zatanna was forcing herself not to look away from Ben's robotic form while biting her bottom lip, arms pressed close to her chest in reservation.

"Piccola*." Giovanni gently coaxed her. "I know that this is hard my love. But right now, he needs our help and support."

*(Piccola - short for "Piccola Mia" meaning "my baby".)

Zatanna silently looked at her father before looking back at Ben. It's not that it was hard for Zatanna to witness Ben's state, but that she felt useless at the moment.

Zatanna already knew that an adventure was just waiting for her, calling out to her from within the blood in her veins. As a child, at first, her vision only encompassed leaving Shadowcrest with the goal of exploring more of the world, getting to know its beauty and wonder. Learning about magic, that vision expanded to learning more about the magical world.

Learning about her dad's career was what changed things. Giovanni's shows were nothing she couldn't stomach, but she wanted to become a hero like him after she heard about the exploits he started performing against more dangerous foes. The times when he forbade her from leaving the house made her feel underestimated, like a toddler who knew nothing of the world.

… But the encounter at Gotham Bank was what ultimately widened her perspective, proving that she knew nothing.

Every adventure was accompanied by the possible threat of death, and Zatanna understood that now.

She just didn't expect death to be so… unexpected.

Even if it's just a brush, an experience like that changes you. Although Zatanna didn't think that she was like her dad who didn't fully trust that science was catching up to magic, a little part of her always agreed with him when he said that magic was more dangerous than the mundane world's inventions.

And yet, apparently, a tiny little bullet put in the right place was nothing to scoff at either.

Taking a deep quivering breath, after looking at Ben's unchanging form, Zatanna turned back to her father. Although she feared the possibility of harm and death falling on her, Zatanna also found that she hated the idea of cowering in fear while her friend needed help.

Making up her mind, a hard light passed over her eyes.

"What do I need to do?"

Giovanni sighed with relief.

"While your mother explores her own avenue, we shall merge our spells to better identify the source of this trouble." he patiently explained. "I want for you to memorize this mystic code before chanting it alongside me.

As the magicians busied themselves, Kaldur crossed the room to stand next to an idle Wally and Will. "Are you both well?" he asked.

"Couldn't be better." Wally shrugged nonchalantly, avoiding the Atlantean's eyes at the end. "I was just evacuating the civilians after Wildcard… uh… managed to take me by surprise earlier."

He shifted strangely while motioning towards the Zatara's. "But are we really going to trust these guys to figure out what's wrong?"

"I understand that you do not trust in 'magicians' or their methods, but perhaps you can trust in our mentors and believe that they know what they are doing by putting their faith in them." Kaldur responded, observing Giovanni and Zatanna repeat a few words together.

"Did you think to come up with a better idea before opening your mouth?" Will growled at the speedster.

"Hey! I could've easily gone to a lab if I got a sample!"

"And it took you only now to think that?"

As the duo's argument intensified, Kaldur was forced to get in between them.

The Atlantean put a hand on Will's shoulder as Wally begrudgingly backed down. "You are clearly the most unwell of us. Willing to share?"

Looking into Ben's emotionless eyes, the black smoke wafting off him and his bound limbs, Will turned his head away. "...He was my first friend." he whispered.

Wally stood up straighter from his previous laid-back posture, Kaldur clenching his hand on the archer's shoulder in a silent show of support.

"We're ready now. Everyone who is currently unable to contribute anything, kindly step back so that we may prevent any accidental obtrusions." Giovanni shouted.

Dinah, Oliver, Barry, and the group of three friends quickly moved to one corner of the room, the remaining heroes going over to another.

Already standing behind the magicians, Bruce merely needed to step back to grant them a wider berth.

Giovanni gazed into his daughter's eyes, moving on after confirming the fire they held.

"Dnif dna llet eht nosaer dniheb s'Dracdliw etats!"

A ripple washed over Ben as the two voiced in tandem, a path made up of small motes of light taking the form of a chained line between him and the pair.

As the entire room's focus became enraptured by the luminescent show, Sindella's eyes suddenly flew open widely as she rapidly backed away toward her family.

"STOP!" her shout disturbed the pair's concentration. "His soul is missing!"

That put a lid on things fast, the budding formation fading. Before anyone could make sense of the change in situation, a static noise filled all their minds.

-…too mu… rence… awa… the rings!-

The ripple that was around Ben increased in intensity, taking on a green hue.

"I thought that ripple was from you guys!" Wally shouted at Zatanna.

"So did I!"

The constructs surrounding Ben quickly faded, his hair changing into blade-like protrusions that slashed through his bindings.

"What gives guys?" Captain Marvel looked at the two Green Lanterns weirdly. "You had him."

"It's not us!" Hal's face was scrunched up in intense focus. "I know my focus is perfect, but the ring's no longer obeying me."

'That message…' Bruce's gaze narrowed as he swept the room. 'No!'

Now free and not bothering with the surrounding confusion, Ben raised his open right palm towards the nearby Green Lanterns, their rings uncontrollably flying from their fingers and slotting themselves into both his index and middle ones.

The film surrounding the two Lanterns changed destinations, both of them falling from the places they were hovering over as a green armor draped over Ben instead.

Black gas poured out from Ben once more, gathering around the library's roof before it vaporized the entire top with an explosion.

"Anyone want to fill me in on what just happened?" John asked, reeling at the rapid reversal.

Bruce reiterated what he deciphered from the voice. "Too much interference. Keep away the rings."

Ben didn't bother giving them any more time to react, speeding through the air with both fists extended as he smashed into the unprepared Hawkman's chest, dragging him through the wall and out of the building.

"Katar!" Hawkwoman flew after the two.

Gathering his bearings fast, Hawkman clenched his mace and raised it high before smashing it onto Ben's back, slamming him into the ground as a crater formed. He then flapped his wings trying to reorient himself and lower his momentum, succeeding in his efforts moments before he could smash through another building.

Jumping onto the edge of the artificial cavity, Ben swiftly crouched when a fist shot out at him from behind. Grabbing it with both hands before the limb's owner could retract it, he twisted his body forward into an overhead judo throw.

Hawkwoman slammed into the same crater hard, the cracks within widening.

*SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!*

Before Ben could drive his heel into the alien woman's stomach, the high-pitched sound of a Canary Cry sent him tumbling forward. Taking the chance given, Aqualad jumped in front of him, the Atlantean's water bearers turning into hammers as he slugged him across the face.

Ben's head swiveled due to the force, the waiting Atlantean King delivering a kick to his midsection that raised him off the ground a bit, an uppercut under his jaw sending him flying up into the air.

Ben quickly righted himself after crashing, dodging another punch from the water-dwelling duo and sending two fast liver blows of his own that got them off his back.

Turning his head at the sound of wind being rapidly displaced, inches separated Hawkman's beak from Ben's face when his back became parallel with the ground, the birdman flying failing to return his own stamped knuckle sandwich in revenge.

As the birdman's motion dictated him to continue moving forward, Ben skillfully braced his weight and grabbed the hero's leg before he could fly out of reach. Pulling him back, Ben gracefully modified the force of Hawkman's flapping speed, using it as fuel for his superman punch.

*BOOOOM - CRASH*

Sailing the distance back towards the library, Hawkman tore through the walls, buried in depths unknown.

Turning attention back to Hawkwoman, Ben was unable to act as his head recoiled back from an unseen blow. Simultaneously, his legs were somehow tripped under him, his body performing backflips through the air due to the opposing attack vectors.

"I'm high your low?"

"Yup."

Rounding a couple of blocks to stockpile energy, Barry came back around to deck Ben in the face just when he got back up, Wally using the opportunity where his friend was disoriented to once again trip his feet. They performed the same actions again and again, Ben's body becoming required to flip through the air as his face repeatedly kissed asphalt.

A pause finally settled on the field when Barry and Wally returned to the rest, everyone looking at the cloud of smoke unsurely.

"Did we get him?" Wally eventually dared to ask.

The smoke cleared to the sight of Ben on his feet facing them, the bottom part of his mask split open and mouth parted.

*SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!*

"Scatter!"

Too concerned with the idea of the possible pain suffered if hit to figure out who spoke first, everyone raced to complete the order.

Black Canary quickly got over her momentary stupor and stood her ground, trying to contest with Ben as her Cry met his in the middle.

"What happened to not provoking Murphy's Law?" Will managed to find time to shout at the young speedster.

"Red Tornado!" Barry focused on the matters at hand. "Form a wind tunnel around him while trying to suck the oxygen out."

"I understand." the android raised his arms, a red-colored twister surrounding Ben. No one was able to tell what was going on inside, but the halted screaming was a good start.

Scientifically, the greatest mediums by which sound waves were propagated forward were considered to be air currents, vibrations constantly passing through the particles held within. If Red Tornado formed a wind tunnel and sucked the said medium by which the Canary Cry traveled, Ben could no longer attack them with it.

And if Ben was knocked out from the lack of breathing, it really would be hitting two birds with one stone. Or in this case, one tornado.

Yet a few moments passed before Ben jumped through the wind with a rebreather on his face, cards flying from his hand.

A blue figure flew in their path as they detonated, coming out of the smoke unharmed as they wrapped Ben into a bear hug and lifted him into the sky. Another red figure moved forward to place a hand on Ben's shoulder when he started struggling to escape, clamping the second over the kid's mouth when he spit out the rebreather to free his lungs for an attack.

"We've got him!" Superman looked back at the others, Captain Marvel smiling brightly alongside him.

Oliver didn't care for that at the moment, his mouth forming an O shape. "How in the world can he perform a Canary Cry?! Did he recreate it using magic? Or was it a power we didn't know about?"

"I sensed no magic being used at all this entire time since I've arrived. Everything we witnessed was a part of his other abilities no doubt." Giovanni rebutted him, Sindella rapidly nodding in agreement.

Bruce craned his head at the true owner of the maneuver. "Give us a quick explanation of how your powers work."

Not tearing her gawking eyes away from Ben for a moment, Dinah slowly nodded.

Previously due to their conversation about the Metagene in the Arrow Cave, Dinah was filled with the desire to get a better understanding of her powers. Not knowing where to go, Oliver kindly extended a hand and promised to privately provide her with many of Queen Industries' top-of-the-line equipment.

After hours spent recording tests in the Arrow Cave and days going out in high-stress situations to earn field data, although Dinah hadn't learned everything about her powers yet, the little they did come up with already went against what she had previously speculated.

"From what I know, I have complete will over my vocal cords to unrealistic heights. This allows me to control everything about my voice ranging from tone, pitch, and the level of decibels I can speak or scream." Dinah explained.

"Then now we know." Bruce nodded his head. "We've underestimated his level of body control, alongside his photographic reflexes. He probably noticed the same thing and managed to seize similar control over his vocal cords to recreate your sonic cry."

Photographic reflexes copied all physical skills, and Ben was doing just that, but up to the next level.

Wally's arms were out, fingers splayed wide.

"I call hacks! How can he have such awesome powers?"

His outburst caused numerous glares to be thrown his way. Wilting under their stares, Wally flashed towards Will, cowering behind him. "Right. Not the time."

He only looked back after everyone turned away.

"Super speed is cooler..." he whispered to himself after everyone turned away

"Then stop dilly-dallying and get ready to make your coolness useful!" Will overheard the speedster, shoving him forward.

"Now that we understand a part of Wildcard's capabilities…" Aquaman began. "We must be careful of what techniques or physical powers we show him, keeping in mind whether he can recreate them or not. Yet, that doesn't explain how he could affect the rings?"

"I'm unable to identify the mechanisms behind it, but it's obviously due to something relating to his connection with the Emotional Spectrum. I'm more concerned with the source of the voice that warned us." Bruce grimly pursed his lips together.

-Finally!- a sound cried out inside everyone's heads.

"Speak of the devil..." Zatanna mumbled.

"Any geniuses present willing to grant my monkey-sized pea brain the know-how needed to understand the situation." Hal commented when he saw everyone exchanging confused looks.

"You're lucky Grodd isn't here to take offense." Barry elbowed him.

Bruce narrowed his eyes as he looked at the Zataras. "ESAMAL."

Recognition flashed through the three magician's eyes as they shared the center of attention with Bruce.

"Yeahhhhhh I still don't follow. Mind sharing with the rest of the class why we're hearing voices in our heads? Last time I checked, that's a major red flag." Wally asked.

"ESAMAL is the consciousness formed from Ben's powers and oversees the contract which everyone signed." Bruce summarized.

-Yeah yeah. Praise be to the all-powerful and awesome me.- ESAMAL rambled. -Let's save the niceties for later! You need to act quickly and wake Ben up somehow, or we're done!-

"I hate hearing those kinds of words." Will grumbled, his words resonating all around.

"Tell us clearly what's going on!" Sindella looked ready to start pulling her hair out. "We can't do anything if his soul isn't present, and we first need to know why it's gone to get it back."

"In fact… explain to us how he's even moving without his soul!" she tagged on at the end, Giovanni gently hugging her to try and keep her shaking body still.

-I've been trying to contact you guys since the beginning to explain that, but there was too much interference.-

"We managed to get that part from your message. Was it because of the gas?" John questioned.

-No. I'm technically considered a paradoxically separate being, meaning I reside both within Ben's soul and in a secluded place inside the ES. Since I was somehow prevented from going with Ben's soul to wherever it went, the only fallback left was firmly planting myself inside the ES.-

"And since that's on another dimensional plane, you had trouble contacting us." Bruce pieced together.

-Nailed it in one. I'm currently piggybacking off the contract to communicate with you all, but I don't know how long I can keep doing that.-

-As for the gas, it's trace amounts of Black Light energy that Ben's body is producing. It seems like a powerful entity related to said Light was attracted by this, causing it to now try and take control of him.- ESAMAL explained.

Lost looks were exchanged. No one was able to keep up with what was being told.

"Start by telling us how this happened first." Bruce interjected.

-Joker managed to douse Ben in one of his newest toxins, one that would've forced him into a coma. Before Ben could succumb to its effects, something that idiot said caused the precious balance inside him to snap.-

-Normally, that wouldn't mean much except for him having to go back to dealing with his apathetic thoughts in a more severe manner than usual. Of course, this would come after he expelled the compounds from his body by altering a couple of his biological processes.-

-But then, his soul was suddenly whisked away without warning, preventing him from acting.-

Wally crossed his hands in a stop gesture as he spoke with annoyance. "Hang on. This whole time you've been prattling on about 'soul' this and 'soul' that. Are you really trying to make us believe a metaphysical concept like that's real?"

-I'm not trying to make you believe anything.- came the reply filled with an equal level of sass. -I'm merely repeating the fact that it exists for you.-

-As our magician friends here know, the soul is the root of all magic and existence. It's what allows us to channel the majority of, as you put it, kid, 'metaphysical' energy present within the universe.- ESAMAL explained to the nods of the mentioned party's heads.

-In this case, that would include all forms of emotional energy. Your soul is what allows you to feel things and react in different ranges of thought.-

"Ok. If Ben needs his soul to be capable of reacting in any way, since it's currently gone… we're fighting that entity right now?" Will tried to wrap his head around the logic.

-Right now? Yes. Before in the library? You were fighting Ben's remaining unconscious thoughts.-

-Now, as I was trying to say before I was so rudely interrupted…This… "thing"... is also paradoxical, same as me. It exists in another place connected to the Black Light, but from what I can tell, it needs to feed off both emotional and life energy if it wants to simultaneously maintain its hold here.-

"Wait! Life energy?" Oliver opened his eyes in shock, everyone hearing the term for the first time yet becoming concerned at the unmentioned implications. "You mean it's currently killing him?"

-No you don't have to worry about that. I don't have time to explain it in more detail now, but just know that Ben can be considered functionally immortal. It can't risk harm to its only chance at freedom.-

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief at that, ESAMAL quickly continuing.

-Before Ben's soul left, his last conscious thought was killing Joker. Usually, people can reign their urges in before they can act on them. But this time, Ben wasn't given that chance. With his regulator and reactor (soul) gone, his lingering emotions took control of his body's automatic response, making use of his abilities to follow the most recent directive given.-

"Killing Joker." Bruce reiterated, mainly for the few still slow on the uptake.

-Yes. When you took that idiot away, the reason Ben's body kept pausing for increasingly longer periods of time was due to those remnant emotions being rapidly burned back into the universe while trying to form detailed plans to chase after the lost target. The strenuous piloting of Ben's body when fighting against you guys hastened the process even more.-

-But don't forget, the entity needs both life AND emotional energy to exist here. While Ben's body has the life energy it needs, there's no longer a soul that can provide it with the second requirement. The leftovers inside Ben were already scraps by the time it inhabited him.-

A lightbulb went off within Bruce's mind as he connected the dots at that bit of info. Losing control of his feelings, he slammed his fist hard onto a signpost in frustration, some of the metal bending.

"Dammit!"

His outburst startled everyone, Oliver putting a hand on his shoulder. "What is it? What did we miss?"

"We had him. Putting aside the fact that this would never have happened if the remnant emotions had dispersed faster, we already had Ben bound before it possessed him. If we kept him contained just a little bit longer, the entity would have been forced to leave his body due to insufficient sustenance." Bruce explained. "Then, everyone else showed up…"

"…But not just everyone. Specifically, the Green Lanterns and their rings…" Barry caught on as he continued.

"…Which are walking batteries filled with emotional energy. What that 'thing' feeds on and helps keep it here." Hawkwoman concluded.

-Nailed it in two.-

Everyone turned to John and Hal, the latter raising his hands defensively.

"Hey! How were we supposed to know any of that?"

John had a deep look in his eyes as he questioned. "What should we do?"

-Yeah… that's the real problem.-

"There's more?!" Barry bemoaned in an appalled manner.

-Of course there is! Even if this thing managed to stay in Ben's body for now, it's heavily shackled in another location, unable to truly exist here at this moment. The life and emotional energy can help it stay here longer than normal, yes, but it's still living off rented time. If it wants its stay here to be permanent, it would need to bond to Ben's soul like how I usually do, something neither of us can do anymore.-

-But now that you've given it a way to keep is satisfied, it's found a loophole I didn't even know existed. It's trying to create a brand new soul instead.-

"Impossible!" Giovanni's jaw tensed as his eyes widened in alarm. "Such a feat would require an enormous price, one that even the highest level of gods are incapable of paying."

"...How did God get involved in this?" Wally mumbled in confusion before abruptly realizing something. "Wait, he said gods plural?"

ESAMAL ignored the speedster. -Yeah? Well, it seems damn possible at the moment. The soul inhabits Ben's body, and it inhabits the soul. Simple, no?-

"That's not how it works." Giovanni retorted.

-Well right now it is. I can't say I know much about souls, but I do know that for one to function it needs to be given a purpose. Now that it has the rings to rely on, the thing is using the remaining thoughts of killing Joker to form the core of a tailor-made, brand-new soul. Your job is to bring Ben's back before that happens.-

"And we do that… how… exactly?" Zatanna asked.

-All souls point back to home, even when lost. I can see the tether to it here in his body, extending to an unknown distance. You should be able to pull him back through it.-

"So, basically like a floating vest with a line attached." Wally put a hand on his chin. "Seems simple enough."

"I don't mean to interrupt, but can you tell how long we have?" a forgotten voice suddenly questioned.

Those who lost track of their surroundings became alarmed as they looked above to see their fellow Kryptonian visibly struggling to hold together the squirming Ben's body.

Captain Marvel was unable to fully support the Man of Steel. He was busy keeping one hand on Ben's mouth to prevent him from releasing the copied Canary Cry while the other could only clamp down on Ben's shoulder.

"It's getting harder and harder keeping him bound like this, his strength seems to be increasing." Superman spoke.

Perhaps due to their greater durability, the black gas wasn't eating at their skin as opposed to most others earlier.

-There are a few factors that mean total failure. The first is when the armor turns completely black, signaling that the soul has been formed.-

Ben's Lantern armor was now covered in a black collage making up a third of it, some extra flakes peppering around the protection as well.

-But then comes the second step. The new soul would still need to kill Joker for its existence to be acknowledged by the universe.-

-After it fulfills this one purpose, it can then become a true soul for the thing to reside within, the shackles of destiny binding it shattering as it ascends to the status of becoming another autonomous being, one capable of finding or carrying out ANY kind of purpose once sapient.-

Everyone watched on as Ben's body flattened, allowing him to slither out from Superman and Captain Marvel's hold. Floating, he indifferently faced them all down.

-When these two conditions are met, you'll know that it's too late.-

------------------

Date: Unknown

Location: Unknown

Time: Unknown

"Are you okay Habibi*? What happened?"

(*Habibi - translates to "my dear" or means "beloved".)

Inside the white room, Ben could only stare in a frozen stupor, unable to form any kind of words due to how his mother's presence made him react in a way that he couldn't describe.

'How is she alive? How did I get here? Is this real?'

Ben's mind twisted and turned as he struggled to find out if this was reality or not.

But as Mary continued to look at him in such a worried manner, his hand squeezed tightly between both of hers, Ben realized what it was that affected him.

Love.

But not just any form of love. He's received plenty of that from Bruce, Alfred, and everyone else.

This love just felt so much more pure.

'How can I feel my emotions so fully again?' he calmed himself, properly examining the room.

The place screamed inhuman to Ben's senses, but he just couldn't place his finger on the reason why. He could only liken it to the astral realm since that was the only place he could freely express his full feelings.

Turning back to his mother, Ben detailed her every wrinkle line and beauty mark as he put his other hand over hers. "Are you… real?" he asked carefully.

Mary smiled beautifully, mirth swirling within her eyes. "Ya mujrim*. Of course I'm real."

(*Mujrim - translates to "criminal" or "perpetrator". In this sentence, however, it's delivered as an endearment or joke meaning "you little trickster/prankster".)

Silence settled for a bit as Ben let that sink in for a moment, looking her over a little while longer.

"I'm sorry for leaving you alone for so long." Ben spoke slowly, trying to hint at something indirectly.

Sadness marred Mary's features as she gently shook her head at him. "No habibi, don't say that. I'm the one who should be apologizing for leaving you on your own. I should've at least gone back to your father and confessed everything to him when you ended up in that hospital bed. I should have been asking for his help."

'She means Bruce.' Ben realized

In his last life, his father was named Jacob, and the Mary of that life would never try dodging or avoiding his name like she was right now. She loved him too much for that.

'So this is my mother from this life.'

Even though he still didn't understand how he had forgotten the face of his mother from his previous life and this one, Bruce had shown him some pictures to Ben that he could reference. Right now, his memories were telling him that the features matched.

But even without considering that, now that his emotions weren't dulled, he could just… feel… that this was his mother.

"You should no longer be here… right? You should've already passed on?" Ben tried to word his question politely.

Mary nodded her head in disappointment "You're correct. Thankfully, I was granted a small chance to say that I'm sorry for that. So very sorry. Please… forgive me for leaving you alone."

Ben remained silent, waiting to hear what she had to say.

"At the time I had you, I… I was struggling. I wasn't expecting to give birth to you, but it was the happiest day of my life when I learned I was pregnant. Raising you was my greatest joy."

"Then one day, news spread about Bruce Wayne suffering a work accident and seeking help in his recuperation. I took it as a sign from God, mustering the courage needed to go and take care of your father once more while trying to reconnect with him."

"Everything was going so well. We had gotten closer once more, laughing and finding comfort in each other's company."

"Then… I brought you with me one day when you were still young… and I had no idea wh-why he pushed us away." she started choking out amidst tears.

"I was honestly afraid of that at first. That he wouldn't be so understanding and that I was wrong about him, that he was just a rich snob who wouldn't care. I had to keep telling myself that I was being silly and overthinking things. I constantly reminded myself of the first time we met and the kindred spirit I found him to be and bonded with."

"But the heaviness with which he looked at you, the stone-cold feeling his eyes gave me… it both broke and frightened me. It brought back to the surface scars I wished to keep buried deep inside, scars that I couldn't even begin to understand or mend back."

"Needless to say, I never went to see him again. But suddenly, raising you on my own was no longer easy. It eventually became too much to the point where I continued to ignore the signs of my tiredness until… till."

Ben just stopped his mother there, leaning forward as he enveloped her into a tight hug, her muffled cries vibrating within the nook of his shoulder as she reciprocated his embrace.

"I understand." Ben responded after she managed to regain some control, her sobs demoting to sniffles.

"...Are you just saying that to cheer me up?"

"Well I don't understand personally, but I'm starting to see that father did."

She quickly separated from him, looking over in panic at his words.

"You met him?!" she cried, slightly terrified.

"I did. It's not as bad as you were thinking. It was all a misunderstanding. He wasn't in the best place at the time." Ben tried placating her.

She ignored his words of assurance, demanding him to explain to her everything that happened to him while she was gone. After she was caught up to speed on what he's been up to in life, and how he ended up here, she began to slowly calm down once more.

"I understand now. To think that by leaving you all alone you'd just end up in a landfill… I'm so-"

"Enough. No more apologizing, please. It wasn't your fault. You did the best that you could and I understand and love you for it. So much good has happened in my life as well thanks to you."

"I should be apologizing for not being able to return any of it to you." Ben scolded to himself.

She looked at him for a couple of moments, not saying anything except holding his hands tightly once again. It felt nice. Ben never knew how much he missed the sensation, of someone's love and support being shared with him with just a touch.

He looked at her a little while longer before suddenly asking. "Can you tell me about your side of the family?"

David made it obvious the hate Mary had for him when talking about her, but Ben knew there was another side to the story. Hate doesn't just come from nowhere, and the scars she referenced earlier had to have been inflicted by someone or something.

Ben's question caused Mary's mind to cloud over, her eyelids briefly closing.

"...My father was a hard man. Day in and day out I would be swarmed by assassins looking to kill me, giant men pushing me around as they scolded me on my stances and looked over my katas."

"Nothing I did was enough for him. Not when I brought down hordes of his teaching aids, nor even bested him a few times in combat. He was never pleased. He sought a perfect weapon in me, and I wanted more from myself."

"There were oftentimes that I saw beyond the facade he put up, the madness within him that wished to tear me down even further only being held back by my grandfather's orders."

"Grandfather…?" Ben didn't understand.

"From what you told me… you already met him, but he kept his relationship hidden." Mary looked at him with complicated eyes as she sighed. "I believe that he's testing you."

Ben's eyes slowly widened as an image popped up in his mind.

"It's considered heresy even for an assassin such as David Cain to pass on his namesake to the Demon Head's granddaughter." Mary explained. "My father could only give the name David to me as a middle one, and even then it was because he was forced to adhere to my grandfather's Arabian traditions."

She looked on sadly as Ben froze at her reveal.

"My true name isn't Mary David or Mary David Cain… but Maryam Al Ghul."

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Hey guys, sorry for missing an update last week. College is crazy, especially when your studying to be a doctor. Again, I'm trying to make time to write, but when you've got MCATs on the way... it's tough.

I'm sure you'll feel better knowing that next week is the last chapter for this story arc, ending with a whopping 15k+ words! Then, I'll be posting an author's note asking for feedback from you all.

I know many of you have been leaving comments of what I did wrong or what to improve upon, and I'm extremely grateful for all the suggestions. Although I've written down the ones I've found most important, I'd love to just have a chapter of all your thoughts written down that I can go back to whenever I wish. Hence, the author's note. 

Thanks for your understanding guys!

1) Comment if you missed me.

2) I eat power stones for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Leave them at the table.

3) Lemme see some 5 star reviews! Whoot whoot.

Read three chapters ahead on Patreon with this link: patreon.com/Geo_Ruler

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